Edwards moving forward for Hawaii football

Junior has remade himself for Warriors

By Mike BrohardLovelandReporter-Herald

Posted:
10/24/2012 11:16:24 PM MDT

Updated:
10/24/2012 11:16:47 PM MDT

FORT COLLINS -- Being a good football player was never an issue for Mike Edwards. It was the rest of his life he was trying to get cleaned up, and in needing to press the rewind button, he landed in Hawaii.

The story followed the junior cornerback/kickoff returner to the island from Tennessee, where as a freshman, he was an accomplice to an armed robbery by a teammate with a pellet gun, leading to his dismissal from the team.

Warriors coach Norm Chow, in his first year, had heard the stories, too. He just hasn't seen them to be true.

"When we first came over here, I heard kind of some negative comments about him, but I tell you what, he's proven to be nothing but a true joy to work with," Chow said. "He does everything the right way, goes to all his classes, he's a leader. The other day somebody said something negative about how we need to get closer together and Mike jumped right on him and said we are close, we just need to stay close. He's just made comments like that that showed his real leadership.

"He's an outstanding player, but I think more importantly, he's an outstanding young man."

And as much as he's meant to the Warriors on the football field, hearing that his coach feels that way means so much more to Edwards.

"It's extremely important, and I take that with a lot of pride and I know that where I came from from where I was 17, 18 to now I'm 21, I've grown a lot, I've matured a lot," Edwards said.

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"I actually listen, and I take not only coaching, but coaching in my life. I take everything a lot more seriously, and that's the main thing. I've got my spiritual life right, my mental life and the physicality has always been there, but I have improved a lot.

"It all works hand in hand. Me being older and understanding what life is all about and everything is bigger than football. As long as I can continue to think like that and continue to work hard on and off the field, I know I can be a great leader, not only on the field, but off the field. I take that with a lot of pride, because I know that coach is noticing what I'm doing."

It would be hard to miss his contributions. He is tied for the team lead in tackles at 24, which with him being a corner, is not all that good of a sign. But his 10 passes defended are 10th in the nation, and he has three tackles for loss.

Where he has been most explosive is as a kickoff returner, averaging 31 yards a return (fifth in the nation) and has tied a Mountain West record this season by returning two for touchdowns.

Colorado State coach Jim McElwain calls Edwards "fearless" and would rather just kick the ball out of the end zone and take him out of the equation all together.

If Edwards brings one out, the Rams say they have to first be focused on what is taking place in front of him.

"A great returner usually comes from a great system as well," CSU's Jake Levin said. "Some guys can make some pretty good plays by themselves, but it starts with the 10 blocks that have to be made for him to get loose and be able to get some good yardage. You have to attack everything as a whole. You have to know what their scheme is, then you have to get this guy, you have to make sure you wrap up and take him down."

Edwards said that word describes is play in both roles. While he understands every return will go the distance, his mentality is that it very well could. With risk comes reward, and that translates over to covering receivers.

"At corner, you learn if you're going to take risks, you've got to take educated risks," Edwards said. "You've got to take risks that you know you're confident in. If you practice it every day and you take educated risks, you know there's going to be some mistakes here and there, but you know you're going to make more plays than mistakes, and that's what I live off of. If you give up a play, there's got to be a short memory and come back and try to make another play. I know that if I continue to work hard on and off the field, I can be an explosive player at DB and at special teams."

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